What do you think Bach would think if he heard his music played on a synthesizer?
If he was still alive, he’d have the chance, because American musician and composer Wendy Carlos created several albums of Bach’s music – all played on the Moog synthesizer.
Switched-On Bach, the first of these albums, came out in 1968 and signaled a dramatic shift for electronic music.
Now, when we hear “electronic music,” we might think of 80s pop or electronic dance music (EDM), but electronic music hasn’t always been so popular.
Electronic music used to exist largely in academic spheres, and it was expensive, unusual and difficult to access.
But this changed in 1964, when engineer Bob Moog unveiled a new invention developed in collaboration with Wendy Carlos: the Moog synthesizer.
The synthesizer was portable, much less expensive compared to its predecessors and it could make all kinds of sounds that were completely new to human ears.
It was really hard to make music with one of these Moog synthesizers, though. You had to configure each note individually, record it and then configure the next note - it took a long time.
Watch below as Carlos demonstrates how to use it.
With this brand-new instrument, Carlos decided to make electronic music that wasn’t so abstract.
She used it to record familiar music – many of Bach’s most popular works.
The resulting album, Switched-On Bach, was a huge commercial success; it topped the classical music charts for three years!
Its popularity helped reveal new musical potential to musicians of all kinds.
Switched-On Bach reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 chart, too, and rock bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer started using Moog synthesizers.
If you want to listen to Wendy Carlos's music today, you won't find it on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube or any other online services. She owns the rights to almost all of her music and hasn't reissued it on any digital platforms.
But you can probably find recordings at the library or even a record shop.
What do you think of the sounds of Switched-On Bach?
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Classical Sprouts is produced by Emily Duncan Wilson. Kacie Brown is the digital content manager.
